Brammer was born in Sehraditz, Moravia (present-day Sehradice, near Zlín), the son of Hermann and Julie. He trained as an actor and first appeared in the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz in Munich. He later transferred to Vienna, where he became involved in operetta productions at the Theater an der Wien. From 1908 he concentrated on writing libretti, often with Alfred Grünwald, and became one of the leading creative artists of the Vienna "Silver Operetta Period" (about 1900 to 1920).[1]
After the Anschluss, as a Jew, he was forced to emigrate and went to Paris, and after the fall of that city during World War II, to the unoccupied south of France, where he died in Juan-les-Pins.[1]
One of his most enduring numbers, still popular in several translations, is "Schöner Gigolo, armer Gigolo", in English "Just a Gigolo" (lyrics by Julius Brammer, music by Leonello Casucci). It was recorded by many musicians of the time, including Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong, Dajos Béla and Richard Tauber, later by Louis Prima, and is still being recorded in different languages. The song appeared in a 1931 film, a 1932 Betty Boop cartoon, a 1978 movie and a 1993 TV series, all titled after the song.
Select works (libretti)
1905 Elektra, with Alfred Grünwald; music by Béla Laszky
1911 Die Dame in Rot, with Alfred Grünwald; music by Robert Winterberg
